Melbourne, Australia

Hiding your light under a bushel - Vivian Maier

May 02, 2011

I stumbled across this wonderful photographer yesterday: Vivian Maier (a few of her images appear below).

Over many decades she compiled a vast collection of wonderful photographs (mostly undeveloped) – and never showed a soul. Very late in Vivian’s life her work was discovered – and her first exhibition was held in 2011 (she died in 2009).

Life’s a solo journey – we don’t need to share any of ourselves. And there’s a danger that in sharing we externalise our sense of self (and self worth). We may think our art is only worthy if someone else thinks it’s worthy.

So why share? I share instinctively (but I’ve learnt to be a little selective with my sharing). But it wasn’t important to Vivian … and she didn’t need to share to become an awesome photographer … she didn’t need ‘steel sharpening steel’. I wonder what life would be like without the drive to share? Liberating and lonely?

Why do you share?

Journal Comments

We may think our art is only worthy if someone else thinks it’s worthy.

For me, if I’m very happy with something I’ve created and this opinion is shared by others, then it’s a very good outcome as, feel good factor. But I have removed many works which were deemed worthy to others, that they liked and even bought, but if it was not me, or no longer me or thought that the image was after fall badly composed or created – I would follow my own opinion of what’s worthy or not. Often my own favorite happens to be ones that most ignore… but they are staying! in my portfolio as they represent me or a bit of me.

I think sharing is a way of communicating or expressing oneself to whoever wants to “listen” :)

Not sharing implies that the audience for the work is oneself. You do the work just for you … and I think that’s liberating. Liberating from the influence and input of others. Liberating from the vulnerability of sharing. You can be your own person.

Sharing is so deep in my psyche that I’m trying to imagine what life would be like with no sharing … and my sense is that it’s quite beyond my comprehension.

Life can also a very personal journey for some. There are some works I create purely for myself and have never shared, nor feel the need to…they fulfill something within me that requires no further validation, they are in themselves liberating.Btw, very nice to see you Peter.

Well, I’m always working for me, I ignore (politely) opinions at home or online on some of my works…. I think that I’m the only one “getting” some my works :))) but I know what you’re saying, it reminds me of someone I’ve read recently, I’ll come back when I remembered his name… a philosopher…. I’ve read several recently ….. I’m thinking of two, I’ll check :)

I don’t think we can be fully liberated from the influence and input of others even without sharing as our creation will have others’ influences and input involved in it at some extent. Whether consciously or not.

Life does tend to give us all a thicker skin … so that we can politely ignore some opinions. I agree that even when we don’t share of ourselves – we don’t live in isolation. In some ways it’s a little selfish to take all of the inspiration from others, and not be prepared to pass on a little of this inspiration to another generation.

robpixaday
over 4 years ago

Peter!! Is that really you? Hi!!!!!(((happy waves)))

Her images are absolutely wonderful! Wow…..thank you for telling us about her!

As to sharing, I guess we do what “works” for us or feels good (and I know that may sound cynical but even altruism has rewards). Some people are more inclined than others to open their worlds to scrutiny. Some people love to share their time and their possessions, some their stories and wisdom, some their feelings. I’ve never met anyone who shared all of those things equally, and I do think that we share because it benefits us in some way. Sometimes just getting a smile in return for sharing a funny story is the “payback,” but for the sharer that’s enough. You know? Good vibes, karma, satisfaction, whatever…

It’s too bad that we can be dissuaded from sharing by bad reactions, no reactions, etc. But it happens. And sometimes people share only because they’ve been told to (so they do it “to do the right thing”).

Me? I don’t like to share my stuff… I want that last chocolate chip cookie and I’m NOT sharing it!!…LOL…or my time, or my “real self.” Feelings? Yes, some. Stories? Absolutely. Views of the world and humanity? Oh, yes. That’s part of why I write and make the images that I share. It works for me; I get that payback of knowing that someone may see or feel or understand something I the way I intended. Or not. It’s a little connection. But probably 50% of what I do isn’t for sharing. The risk is too great, still. It’s a tap dance on the edge of time, Peter…deciding how much we can and are willing to share in the days we have left in our lives, how much we’re willing to risk in order to get that precious connection.

And there are things that I’ll never share. I create them for me, my connections with my self. Being able to do that is a freedom that I treasure. And it’s all mine.

Hi Robin! I’m looking after my two kids at the moment – and it’s a pretty intense experience. I agree with you that even things like altruism has a personal reward … I think we frame pretty much all that we do in a way that brings a direct or indirect benefit.

My thoughts on your question, “Why do you share?”My hubby would be wanting to know why I had bought all that gear, and why I was leaving the house at 2am with said gear…..if I hadn’t been sharing what I have been doing ;) Clearly Vivian didn’t have anyone to ask those questions….

I wonder if she didn’t have the need or didn’t have the confidence? Can we know for sure.But different people have different needs. To me, the creative process is incomplete until it is viewed or read by another. I wonder why I think that way? I wonder why some sort of reaction or validation is important to me. You have me thinking, Peter.

Those who knew her could probably answer that question … and it’s one that I’ve been pondering. My gut feeling is that she was a vulnerable person and didn’t want to ‘let people in’ … and that saddens me a little.

Peter, I’ll swap you two lads, (22 and 19, one house trained one not so much). Being severely outnumbered by males I really could do with a few more girls. But seriously, what better way to be distracted? :)

On this observation of yours Anne: (“I don’t think we can be fully liberated from the influence and input of others even without sharing as our creation will have others’ influences and input involved in it at some extent. Whether consciously or not.”). I understand what you are saying in regards to not being free of external influences, nothing is a truly original idea nor does anything exist in a vacuum (except perhaps a few million dust mites ;) )For me the liberation exists totally within the absence of the need to share, it sits squarely outside of the fear of rejection, possible lack of understanding from others or validation from others, and nestles quite comfortably in the singular feeling of self satisfaction in an achievement. (I’m not sure if this makes any sense at all).

I’m finding it very hard to imagine the ‘liberation’ of not sharing. Sharing, conformity and a relative understanding of oneself have been etched so deeply in my consciousness that it’s hard for me to perceive a different path. That’s one of the reason’s I’ve found Vivian’s work and life so interesting. All credit to you Marion for being able to focus on the achievement in and of itself.

I share things which have brought me pleasure or amusement in the hope that they will bring a moment of the same to others, be they things I have “made” or things natural or contrived by others.

I share other things in the hope that they will evoke or provoke a response, be it a memory or a new thought/experiece, from others.

Beauty is universal but the things which are considered beautiful are not. What one person finds beautiful others may think it is ugly, sad, amusing or smoething else. By seeing what someone else considers beautiful, we may learn to look at it differently, especially if we haven’t seen or thought about it before. You only have to look at the people who leave comments on work, here on RB: they are all ages, races/cultures, both genders, beliefs,

It is only when someone finds something which is harmful to be beautiful that we, as a group, society or other collection of people, must protest. But, we must be very careful how we define harm.

And, in reference to Vivian Maier – I came across her work somewhere else quite recently. I’m not sure where, though – it could have been in a newspaper, a magazine, it’s even possible someone here on RB introduced her by means fo a Journal detailing their discovery of her.